


one that protects or defends

by nonbinarywithaknife (littleboxes)



Series: dimension 20 [14]
Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Campaign 05: A Crown of Candy, Drabble, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Sacrifice, Survivor Guilt, someone please get jet rocks some stability and some therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24428425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleboxes/pseuds/nonbinarywithaknife
Summary: As she laughs, wild and triumphant, she hears the thundering of gauntleted boots across the deck. A yell of “PRINCESSJET-!” and she turns just in time to see Theo put his body in front of the dagger that would have ripped into her spine.
Relationships: Theobald Gumbar & Jet Rocks
Series: dimension 20 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706107
Comments: 15
Kudos: 50





	one that protects or defends

Jet isn’t paying attention. Jet’s swinging Flickerish with a wide flourish that sends the cheese fucker she’s attacking tumbling backwards. 

As she laughs, wild and triumphant, she hears the thundering of gauntleted boots across the deck. A yell of “PRINCESS _JET-!_ ” and she turns just in time to see Theo put his body in front of the dagger that would have ripped into her spine. 

Her breath catches and adrenaline floods her veins, but it’s the not the first time Theo’s jumped in front of a blow. _It’s fine_ , she thinks, reaching out a hand to help him up, even though his plate armor alone is too heavy for her to be of any real help. It’s become routine.

But as she reaches for his hand, Theo doesn’t reach back. Doesn’t get up. His golden armor is dented and scratched (but no less shining) and sticky-sweet blood is gushing from his chest. 

Jet doesn’t register the horrified scream of “ _Theo!_ ” as her own until she’s already dropping down to try and stabilize him. 

It’s not working. _It’s not working_. His magenta blood is flowing faster over her hands as she tries to push down, and she can _feel_ the wound, can feel his heart shudder to a stop, and Jet Rocks turns, fury and grief and tears on her face, as another of her mentors dies. 

When she speaks this time, it’s not a scream. Not a yell of terror or exuberance or victory. She stares into the eyes of the man who killed Theo and whispers, “ _I’m gonna fucking kill you_.”

He raises a sword, but there’s fear in his eyes. Jet brings Flickerish down on his head, breaks through his guard like it’s nothing, and he’s gone. She looks around for more traitors on whom she can take out her wrath, but the battlefield around her is empty but for bodies and the gradually more horrified faces of her allies as they realized what’s happened. 

Ruby sprints to her side, tears starting to spill over as she pulls Jet close. Amethar is behind her, looking down at Theo with a sadness and rage that Jet is only just learning to understand the origins of. Liam stands behind them, the anger and pain and fear that he still hasn’t processed compounded by yet another loss. The crew of the Colby stand a respectful distance away, heads bowed.

None of them speak. They can’t. Jet wants to scream, to declare vengeance on the house of Bleu the same way she swore it on the Bulbian church. 

But anyone she might exact retribution on is already gone. Stilton, at the bottom of the ocean with a dagger in his chest. Dozens of his troops, their bodies floating and sinking all around. What more can she _do_?

She forces herself to look back down at his body. Memorizes it, thinks, _this is your fault. If you hadn’t been so_ stupid _, so_ reckless _, he’d still be here. It should be you down there. Everyone knows he’s more helpful than you are_. 

It’s only as she goes to look away again that Swirlwarden catches her eye. It’s chipped and scratched and battered, but still strapped securely to Theo’s arm. Jet looks at her own shield, thinks of Theo sprinting dozens of feet in seconds to get in front of people in danger. 

She kneels down, ignoring Ruby’s hand on her shoulder. She gently takes Swirlwarden from Theo, and sets her own shield on his chest. 

_I’m sorry,_ she whispers, quietly. _I’ll do better next time._


End file.
